


'Boy' Things

by Merfilly



Category: The Freedom Series (Anne McCaffrey)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Families of Choice, Future Fic, Kid Fic, Yuletide, Yuletide 2009
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-22
Updated: 2009-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-05 00:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zainal reflects a little. Post series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Boy' Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vlada](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vlada/gifts).



Zainal had known broad freedoms and liberties as a young Catten destined for the Eosi. He had been indulged, to have as broad a life experience to share with the one he would host as possible. The Eosi thrived on such stolen memories and experiences. In retrospect, Zainal knew it was such broad experience that had paved the way for his daring actions to evade the hosting process, to eventually break the domination of his species and others by the monstrous Eosi.

Still, he was uncertain that any of it would have come to fruition, if it had not been for one human, one woman, that had changed his life, and reworked the path of several species in the doing so. Kris Bjornsen was like no other woman he had known before, and he somehow doubted he would ever know another who could compare to her in the least

That suited him just fine, as the former Emassi was more than pleased to have such a unique person as his love, his partner, his mate, his wife. She was, in all ways, the perfect complement to himself. That did not, however, mean that he always understood everything Kris said or did. He bemusedly called them 'boy things', after an early discussion of the English language and its many uses for seemingly simple words. After all this time together, the fondness for that quirk in the humans had not disappeared when he thought of the early, harder days on Botany.

`~`~`~`~`

Peran and Bazil were fully adapting to life on Botany. Watching Kris's son and daughter grow strong, seeing his Catten sons mature and find their own paths had been a much needed respite from the day-in and day-out negotiations and trade dealings on the routes between Barevi, Earth, and Botany. More planets were seeing the profit and logic of it, to the point that several Catten ships were trying to get pieces of the action, something that suited Zainal, as long as he could keep 'free enterprise', as Chuck Mitford called it, from making the goods too expensive for the customers that needed the items the worst.

Kris never really said much about the distinction in whose children were whose, but the first time Zainal called Amy 'his little girl', Kris's soft smile had struck deep within the Catteni's heart. He began to see then just how much a family they truly were. While neither of his sons would ever see Kris as a mother, the three of them had come to something of a familial connection, that often had one or the other of the boys coming to Kris for advice now.

Zainal took the thoughts of the children being all of one family to bed with him that night, thinking on it until he slept, and woke up with it very much on his mind. He waited that morning for Kris to awaken, rather than slipping free of the bed, so that he could share his thoughts with her.

Only...as Kris shifted and snuggled into his side, he found himself more distracted than ever by just how perfect for him she was. He smiled to himself; talk could wait. For now, other uses of his mouth came to mind, and he shifted to suit action to thought. Not unsurprisingly, Kris found those actions more than welcome to wake up to.

`~`~`~`~`

A gruff command from Zainal had made Peran take both Zane and Amy to the creche for the morning, not without some amusement from both Catten boys. Kris had protested at first, but more kisses and a touch of firmness made it clear to her that he intended to have her company all day. His sons had work to do, and the younger pair were well taken care of.

It was past noon when Zainal and Kris woke from a brief nap, and Kris raised up to look down at him.

"Just tell me you haven't cooked up another dangerous plan that you intend to run off and do without me?" she half-teased, half-asked.

He chuckled, a low rumble in his throat that always seemed to make her mesh closer to him, as if the sound alone made him more desirable in her eyes. "No. Nothing more dangerous than a handful of Catten Drassi being … cutthroat? … in their dealings."

"Okay." She leaned in and kissed his jaw. "Then why did you kidnap me for the day?"

"Kidnap? Kid, young one; nap, small sleep?" he queried in a teasing voice, making her laugh and snuggle him for the way he did it. "Or do you mean, small goat?"

"You learn too many meanings! And you know what I mean by kidnap." Kris was still smiling, though, something he would always take pleasure in. To him, she was beautiful by any race's standards, but no more so than when she was expressing great emotion.

The Catteni petted down her back at that, before shifting them, so that she was curled in front of him, both on their sides. "I had much to think about, and then I was going to tell you what I thought. But you were … fetching? And I forgot to talk." He felt her move as she giggled at that last teasing phrase.

"So what were you thinking?" she asked him softly.

"I think I was slow. That maybe I was too much 'boy'." That made her roll over, so that he could hold her, but she was facing him. "Isn't that what the women say? When a male is stupid?"

"Some would tell you that 'male' and 'stupid' sometimes mean the same thing, but yes, you used it correctly...except I don't see how you were," Kris said in turn.

"I was." Zainal pressed his cheek to hers for a long moment. When he pulled back, it was to sigh softly, a mannerism he had picked up from mimicking the humans. "I say 'mine' and 'yours' for the children, and it is not. The older boys will not call you 'mother', but they see you as female kin. And I see now, no matter the men who made Zane and Amy, I am very much their father." He had to reach up, seeing the glimmer of moisture in the corner of her eyes to wipe at it. "Does this not make you happy?"

"It does, Zainal, it does," she whispered in a choked voice.

"Then why tears?"

"It's a 'boy' thing," she told him, before burrowing into his chest and holding on.

Zainal accepted that for what it was, and held her tight, knowing they had crossed yet another bridge in their lives together.


End file.
